I Saw Satan Fall Like Lightning, Part 2

Greer is not that you need to figure out the spirit that speaking in your head is ignored and you get a louder voice in your ears and that is what Jesus has declared of you that I have chosen you culture. For my purposes to give you a future and a hope. And you need to drown out the voice of Satan with a louder voice of the gospel today in a series called difficult sayings of Jesus, any of the previous messages you can catch up for free@jamiegreer.com and be sure to listen until the end of today's program as well to hear about a new resource from Pastor Janie now today were dealing with statement in Luke chapter 10 verses 17 to 20 Jesus said to his followers. I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you to huge promise. But what exactly did Jesus mean by that. To answer that question here is Pastor Janie. First, what is it mean that we have the authority to tread on serpents score. Nearly every chapter.

Satan is mentioned 250 separate times in the New Testament which reads almost once in every single chapter of the New Testament. Here Jesus is giving them very clear instructions about how they are to engage with the demonic realm so you think Jesus in the New Testament.

Seriously.

Listen, you gotta take this seriously is a major theme that runs through Jesus life and appear ignorant of this or you just ignore it are missing a big part of what God has for us as disciples of Jesus. Well, who is he and what exactly does he do this verse gives you a clue as to where he came from.

I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven government trying to share Christ with somebody just the most bizarre things start happening to them.

Distractions, things that make them doubt you what, why is because Satan is putting we previous target people when they begin to be exposed to the gospel is why some of our church planters overseas would opposition never experienced before. Because he is putting obstacles in the way. Revelation 1210 calls and the accuser of the brethren which reads he loves to what accuse you and remind you which means that voice in the heart pointing out your sin is not always the Holy Spirit. A lot of times it is your enemy trying to remind you of the mistakes you have made the failure that you have become so that he can pay for you a very bleak outlook about your future. Never notice how critical people are Christian leaders that God has put over them. There is a reason that that is one of the biggest targets for everybody and that is because Satan loves to do that.

First John 310 calls Satan the father of hatred and murder that is at work in the rulers of the world. Think about that. That means that Satan is moving in the highest levels of earthly power. The highest financial, the highest military he's moving in those returning them to kill to steal and to destroy her 73 six Paul says that he puffs up Christian leaders with pride, so that that they will fall and then a second Timothy 224 that he brings to the minds of unbelievers, the pride in the faults of Christian leaders so that they will not take the gospel seriously. Paul tells us in second Corinthians 44 that he blinds the mind of unbelievers and in first Thessalonians 3 530 attach faith wherever he finds it. Ephesians says that Satan ensnares both unbelievers and their sin so that they become addicted to their sin with this feeling that they'll never be able to get out of it. Throughout the New Testament we see Satan causing sickness and sometimes insanity. Second Corinthians 12, Paul would call his physical affliction had a phone in the flesh that afflicted him physically, and Paul called it a messenger of Satan to afflict me so is he real is the active Jesus knew what he was talking about. The answer has to be yes you look at certain chapters in human history to say how good that happens to things like the Rwandan genocide happened World War I he ever studied anything about that war you look at it. You say, what was the point of that justice. Needless bloodbath. How do you get that you get to the levels of cruelty you see today in the Sudan of the Taliban. How did slavery happen in our country. How is the abortion epidemic still happening in our country. How does child pornography. The sex slave trade. How these things gain traction and these are not things.

By the way, the just take place in remote parts of the world about education, you know that the that the hub of the sex slave trade is Atlanta, Georgia is the largest one. The famous historian from Yale Marlowe Unger said history is littered with the story of powerful men and women whose infliction of destruction and death could only be described by two words insane or diabolical other three times in the Bible only three where someone is said to be directly filled by Satan and all three times they are completely same. They do not roll their eyes in the back of her head for exactly to mother and like the actresses all three times a single semi they are completely same, but they are murderous and they are out to destroy Christian faith. So is he real you better believe it. Civil lightning is not more obvious. I read the Gospels, it seems like demons and Satan are a lot more visible back then than they are today was of this is really important.

Satan is not after your recognition is, after your destruction become. She was an angel of light saying. Following this, this is what you want.

This is how I am going to destroy you. First Peter 58.

Be alert and of sober minds, you keep your eyes open at all times is your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. First notice that Peter call Satan a lion, which means that he's in the cat family. I told you demons are Tattered payments. That's not the main point. This passage but I think it's an important observation right. The main point is that he's a hunter that he seeks prey and what happens Peter said to be go through life without being even what he was at work in your life right now what he was in the temptations. What if he was the one Sir that was hovering above your computer at night, beckoning you to just enjoy yourself for a few minutes before you go to bed. Once he was the one that was providing you with those really easy opportunities for you to get ahead in business by just cheating a little bit what all that was happening and you were completely unaware of it. You cards yet you encourage good news will keep written verse 19 I saw Satan fall I've given you authority now to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power the enemy and nothing short you. That's an amazing promise without a bunch of guys especially fishing on the on the French broad River and the University may have these little holes in the side of the river door like them in the bank where you about your secrecy that they put their hand in there and it we did not do that, but we're talking about who thought of that first we thought the Regina marijuana catfish like try to bite my hand and pulled out some of the get fit. I would not do that. I was certainly would not look at the pit of snakes and scorpions, and the scope front across a barefoot Jesus is saying that that's exactly what you gonna do, metaphorically speaking, you look at that and you walk across it, knowing that it's not to be able to actually hurt you. Nothing short you. By the way, listen does not mean Satan cannot afflict you, I know, I know that Paul said he had a thorn in the flesh. That was a messenger of Satan.

Satan was afflicting him was not so I'm like just because Paul was an apostle Satan could not mess with him. Nothing can hurt you means that nothing that Satan does can stop the forward progress of what God is doing in your life.

Got it� Messenger of Satan second Reading 12 and he turned it into an instrument for Paul's good. That's what God does with Satan in your life.

He takes the afflictions of Satan, and he says that she can reverse those and I want to use what Satan intends for evil.

I'm to use it for your good. You have been given authority to overrule all that Satan intended for evil in your life and to say, I declare that God is going to use that for good. You say will how do we exercise that authority. That's a great question before we get to it. Let me answer a couple practical questions that people asked me when I teach on something like this verse when they ask is I got a situation, say for example sickness and I don't know if there's a spiritual reason behind it.

So what should I do you know what we know so much. Now even more than they did back in the days the Bible was written. We know the science of medicine and God gave us that knowledge and he expects us to use that knowledge to the fullest.

And yet we know that there can be spiritual reasons behind sickness: prescription said that there were some who were sick and even died because of their disrespect of the Lord's table in communion. She's I will will how do we what we do in that moment part of the problem is that we ought to draw neat lines between the natural and the supernatural, but the supernatural list of this will blossom your minds. The supernatural can work in and through the natural. For example, can God send a storm. Yes, we see that happens in the Bible does that mean he did not use the normal forces of nature to cause that storm. Not all the supernatural can be in the natural or here's another one. I teach my kids that they were created by God is that legitimate Psalm 139 says they were created by God, the God created them as a plan for them does not take away the fact of the biology of how Veronica and I created them.

Not at all the supernatural works in the natural and you're not supposed to try to separate those all the time.

That means practically speaking, when you're dealing with a situation and you suspect there may be some supernatural purpose behind it.

My counsel to you is that you address both the natural and the supernatural sources as you see Keeley you should exhaust every natural remedy at your disposal and then be sensitive to spiritual reasons that may be behind it as well.

Example is did you know that the apostle Paul traveled with a licensed physician. His name was Luke he wrote the book of acts. Paul traveled with 11 calls him the beloved physician if not one of things I entertains me as I read Paul's letters is I love it when Paul gives medical advice to people that he's writing to nursing visits throughout. We assume that he got that from Dr. Luke and so Paul when he would minister to people he would use both the natural and the supernatural.

The point is one does not have to exclude the other.

So when someone is sick. Call the doctor always but if you begin to suspect something something really different is at work and while you are consulting the doctors you should call James chapter 5 says the elders of the church to pray because that is is is is is also deal with the spiritual things behind that there's another question that I get.

Can a Christian be demon possessed.

Can a Christian be demon possessed. Interestingly, the Bible never uses the term demon possessed.

That's actually a poor translation of the Greek word, the odds of my rights. It's not a good translation literally beyond my means demonized to a Christian be afflicted by a demon. Yes, absolutely. You're one of things we teach here is that if you get drowsy while up your teaching. That's a sign of demon afflicting you. Okay, so the person that she looks like to get a little drowsy until you reach ever take their were in your hand. Logic annual demons out and I promise you, whether the cause is natural or supernatural the spirit of slumber will depart from that person. Just kidding. But I but can a Christian be demon possessed no any part of you. However that is not surrendered to Jesus and placed under the protection of his blood can be demonized. Your soul can never completely be taken over sense if you're Christian, your soul belongs to Jesus, but whatever part of you. You have not brought underneath the Lordship of Christ and and probably will be demonized. Which leads me to the final question, how are we supposed to engage against the demonic how we supposed to engage against the demonic.

This passage does not give you a lot of detailed instruction, but notice what Jesus says in verse 20.

Nevertheless, he says do not rejoice in this spiritual subject to you.

Rejoice that your names are written in heaven. Here's a side point that I'm actually go to somewhere else in the Bible really develop Jesus consistently directs people away from preoccupation with the demonic consistently.

In fact he never, not one time ever tells us to go out demon hunting order approach the world like a mattress.

There's really only one passage in which the Bible outlines for us what a strategy for spiritual warfare should look like and that strategy is found in Ephesians chapter 6 Ephesians chapter 6 is where he list out the weapons of our warfare. What's interesting listen and might be disappointing for some of you is that none of the weapons that he gives us are really that weird the helmet of salvation. That's why is one of the verse 20 mentions which basically means let your thinking be saturated by the gospel, take the shield of faith, faith, and what faith in God's promises put on the belt of truth, which is good news is you never want to go into battle with her pants down right but what is the belt of truth is believing what God's word says hi graffiti covered with a readiness to declare the gospel for the readiness to preach taking your hands the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.

Know how to quote Scripture pray at all times in the scripting to summarize all those things for you.

Really all the different weapons are actually different ways of saying the exact same thing. I guess I represented school, we had final draft are not a put on the different pieces I I get that there's a bunch of different reasons mentioned but Paul is actually just rephrasing the same concept over and over again and that is saturated by the gospel put faith in the gospel cover yourself with the gospel when every part of you is covered by the gospel. Satan cannot touch you see, when I was on the mission field.

When I served overseas. There were many who believe in what they call territorial spirits, which is basically like some your hierarchy of demons that control various places and if you cannot you do effective warfare.

You gotta find them and bind so you gotta figure out what his name is Irv. You know it's name is and you got a Somatic and sees us that Paul never never instructs us to do that if I listen to this again.

This might disappoint some of you. Paul gives us three model prayers in the book of Ephesians we talked about spiritual warfare three model prayers and none of them is he binding her testing out any demons.

First Corinthians chapter 1, when Paul is addressing the division. Listen to this. When Paul was addressing the division in the Corinthian church. You never want to do list one of things that Satan does as he causes division in God's people in first Corinthians, Corinthians are like there like the worst church division ever so there were ever a place Satan was at work.

It was in the church in Corinth right I'm exilic the Jerry Springer show of churches ever read that when Paul is counseling them. Paul never tells them to rebuke the spirit of division.

He tells them to be united in their minds around the gospel and to be charitable to each other in response to the gospel.

He tells them to do exactly told annuity Ephesians 6. Cover yourself with the gospel for screenings five. We talked about the problem of immorality in the church got some guy sleeping with his mom, which is bad somehow that one knows a stepmom that doesn't matter. You called mom take her to the prom. That's a bad news survey. When Paul addresses that situation. He doesn't tell them to rebuke the spirit of incest. He urges the Corinthian simply to believe the gospel exercise church discipline and encourage the God to repent because of what Jesus is done.

The pointed you listen to grounded in Jesus and Satan will not be able to touch you.

You focus on the fullness with Christ, not on the demonic look Chapter 11. Here is what Jesus made this really clear whichever Levy tells a story about a guy uses a metaphor and I have a house in a demon resident within which is bad news.

Evidently the name is pretty messy and stinky because the guys houses, you know messy and smelly so he asked the demon to leave in the demon does to the got cleaned up his house is super excited because now you got a spick-and-span house but demon meanwhile did not get six of his friends because boxes hey clean house somewhere else for us to destroy Malmo event and so Jesus is the last date of the man is worse than the first. Right then Jesus goes on in that chapter to say you gotta have a stronger man that possesses the house before the demons will not come back and fill it again and so his point is listen this if you want to keep the devil out.

You need a stronger resident when the demon comes back he can't take over from the stronger man. The irony is, if you want to fight the demonic in your life goal focus on the demonic at all just let Jesus be large in your life.

CH Spurgeon said it this way that you know he's the pastor emeritus of the summa church on CH Spurgeon, the preaching of Christ is the whip that flogs the devil by pastor how you keep Satan your church. I just preach Jesus. That's what I'm trying to do just preach Jesus. Why because Satan hates on preaching Jesus beaten the heck out of a doubt I can probably get away with that beat the hell out of the devil cannot either. I think I could I preach Jesus and does whatever you want to say it makes say it. He leaves he cannot possess where Jesus is Lord's. We want a stronger man. We want the Holy Spirit to possess every party you. We want the gospel to saturate all of you, and then the demonic cannot touch you see when Jesus died, he destroyed any power that Satan has over you any power why she Jesus did not really die for you he died instead of you. And because Jesus was taken to the cross in part by Satan. He can never do that to me because he's already been burnt.

The wrath is already been given so in him.

There's not a thing not hand that he can lay on me and I usually say this Christians fight from victory not for victory Christians fight from victory not for me is why say that I hear a lot of Christians say funders fighting for victory over Satan you know may victory over Satan.

Jesus had victory over Satan standing him you rest in the finished work of Christ in that spot where it's already been burnt and there's not a finger. Satan can do for you the answer to overcoming the demonic is not to obsess about the demonic, the answer is to get filled completely by Jesus summa Satan filling your mind with discouraging thoughts.

Is he telling you you're a failure you're never to be used by God, there's nothing but failure in your past to be nothing but failure in your future you need to counter that with the truth of the gospel is not that you need to figure out the spirit, but speaking in your head is either ignored and you to get a louder voice ringing in your ears. That is what Jesus has declared every you that I have chosen you.

I've called you for my purposes to give you a future and a hope. I have ransomed you, I've made you is not my people, my people, there is nothing but goodness and mercy in your future and you need to drown out the voice of Satan with a louder voice of the gospel.

The Lord has promised good to be his word and my hope secures he will my shield and portion be as long as life endures. Satan loves to whisper in your head but listen I know he does not all the time render. He's called the accuser of the brethren, you need to drown out the voice of the accuser with a louder voice of the gospel believe the gospel from head to toe and the accuser cannot touch any of it getting Satan is messing with your marriage you think is messing with your spouse and he's messing with your kids get the presence of the stronger man all over your marriage and Satan cannot touch it, whatever belongs to Jesus. Satan cannot touch on the other hand, listen believer whatever has not been submitted to the Lordship of Christ and brought into that circle the blood of Christ is wide open for Satanic attack in that one area that you have not brought into that circle is the area through which Satan will destroy her community falls into two errors concerning the taken altogether too seriously really do not taken seriously in strict balance carefully with God's help truly is a wonderful promise from God and his heart is in Christ Jesus pastor Jenny Greer urges us here on Senate right to never leave any area open to attack British series called the difficult things in Jesus and if you missed any of the previous messages you can listen for free@jennygreer.com Senate life. Our mission is to help you dive deeper into the gospel every day. That's why were committed to bringing you these messages on the radio and online no cost to you will never be charged for one of JD's sermons but that's only possible because people like you make voluntary contributions to let me invite you today to become a gospel partner and join us in our mission to reach the world with the gospel.

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The online Jenny Greer.com and Molly benefits. Thank you for joining us this next week as a series of things Jesus talked about will cover the controversial time trying to map out the last days. There's only focus on the here and now. So here answers that question Monday on Senate